Kuraray and Vitriflex in a strategic collaboration

Kuraray Co.,Ltd., a specialty chemical company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and Vitriflex Inc., a leading developer of high-performance barrier films based in San Jose, California, launched a new strategic collaboration to accelerate Vitriflex’s technology development and production scale-up. As part of that strategic collaboration, Kuraray led a new equity investment round in Vitriflex and Toshio Suzuki, Vice President of Kuraray America Inc., based in Houston, Texas, was appointed to the Board of Vitriflex.

Vitriflex encapsulation provides electronic devices with cost-effective protection from moisture and oxygen, improving their lifetime and reliability. Vitriflex ultra-barrier film is flexible, thin, lightweight, and shatterproof, enabling the replacement of glass as an encapsulant.

Kuraray launched its Silicon Valley branch in 2011, in order to explore new technologies and collaboration with startups. Kuraray is excited by the great potential of Vitriflex’s technology, and it views the Vitriflex collaboration and investment as the beginning of an increase in its collaborative activity with startups.